


Resolution

by WantsUnicorns



Series: Endurance Trilogy [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Resolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-20
Updated: 2012-05-20
Packaged: 2017-11-05 16:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/408713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WantsUnicorns/pseuds/WantsUnicorns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The aftermath of what happened to Draco and his attemtps to discover and accept the truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Resolution

It was dark wherever he was. Curious. Awareness was not what Draco had expected. He didn’t believe in an afterlife. Maybe he was a ghost? He did have a lot of unfinished business after all. Maybe he was just waiting for whatever came next. Did wizards reincarnate? Draco wondered idly, not scared, not happy, just there. He was definitely waiting for something he thought, or was this just it, an eternity of awareness in the dark?

_“I love you, don’t leave me, I love you, don’t leave me, I love you, don’t leave me… love … leave me… I… don’t… me…”_

_What was that supposed to mean_ , he wondered as those words kept ricocheting around in the dark place he inhabited, drawing closer, becoming audible, then fading away again? Don’t leave whom? The words were filled with such desperation that Draco kept wondering who could possibly feel such pain at the same time as such obviously deep devotion.

 _“It has come to our attention that Mr. Draco Malfoy has played an instrumental part in letting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts in his sixth year, he is also known to bear the brand of He Who Must Not Be Named. Mr. Malfoy is suspected of casting an Unforgivable Curse on at least one count…”_ This voice was different, filled with accusation, hatred almost, hatred directed at him he realised, before it too faded away.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

_“Has there been any change?”_

_“No, his vitals are getting more stable, but he’s not woken up, nor are the mediwizards sure that he ever will...”_ The voice broke.

_“Oh Harry, I am so sorry!”_

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

Apparently in the afterlife all was dark, but there was no sense of peace or quiet to be had. Draco forgot why that had been important.

 _“…was coerced into it. He was a victim of circumstances like so many of us. His parents’ lives were threatened, we shouldn’t forget this! Members of the Wizengamot, think about what you would do to protect the ones you love, the ones closest to you.”_ This voice was filled with such conviction that even Draco believed it.

_“…wasn’t able to kill Dumbledore, refused to identify myself even at the risk of harm coming to his family. Furthermore, Mr. Malfoy tried to stop Crabbe from conjuring the Fiendfyre which destroyed the Room of Requirements.”_

Draco wanted this passionate voice that was so obviously convinced of the goodness in him to stay, but it too faded away. It had been so much better than the accusing one, or the broken one and especially the one filled with despair. What could anyone possibly have done to cause such pain to any one person?

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

_“Look at me Draco! We have all done things we are not proud of, things we are sorry for. There is good in all of us, don’t ever forget that.”_

_“There is no good in me Potter, whatever you might think. I let myself be deliberately disfigured by a lunatic, because I thought it was the right thing to do. Growing up, it was all that I ever wanted, I hated you!”_ This time he heard his own voice. Were these voices drifting in and out memories? He wondered idly, hoping the gentle voice would say something else.

 _“Hated me? You don’t hate me anymore?”_ The gentle voice sounded hopeful and Draco would have been sad to hear it disappointed.

 _“Hate you, I still do.”_ His own voice lacked conviction and Draco was glad for it.

_“Draco, stop pretending! Aren’t you tired of it? I, for one, am!”_

_“I don’t hate you…”_

The voices faded again and Draco wished he... remembered what happened next.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

_It was snowing. How it could have been snowing in the afterlife was a mystery to Draco, but big white snowflakes were indeed drifting down and settling onto his upraised face from out of nowhere. The darkness slowly brightened and Draco realised he was walking along a snowy path somewhere in the countryside. He also realised somebody was following him, shouting and running to try and catch up with him. He noticed himself walking faster, although his curiosity was peaked and he would have loved to stop and see who was making such a ruckus for him to_ wait up already.

_“Draco, for fuck’s sake, will you stop and listen to me!” A hand grabbed his arm and stopped him in his steps._

_He could feel himself turning around angrily, ready to snarl at his pursuer. All the fire went out of him however, when he felt a warm hand cup his cheek gently._

_“Draco, please! I am tired of always fighting with you. Stop behaving like this is still what you want. I’ve seen how you look at me, when you think I am not paying attention. I know we said we’d be friends and we’ve both seen how that worked out, haven’t we. We’ve been fighting more than ever. Have you ever wondered why that might be?”_

_Draco felt himself leaning into the gentle caress of the hand on his cheek, like he’d wanted to ever since the hand had first reached out._

_Apparently his reaction was what the other person had been hoping for, because the man stepped closer, cupping Draco’s face with his warm and soft hands and placed a tender kiss on his cold lips. He felt himself respond in kind and soon enough their lips were sliding against each other in a gentle caress, Draco holding onto Harry’s shoulders like a lifeline. He never wanted the moment to end. When they finally broke apart, Harry hugged him tightly, holding him, like he was the most precious thing in the world._

Recognising Harry in what definitely was a memory had a bittersweet flavour to it and hurt more than Draco had anticipated. Hearing those words and feeling his touch made his heart soar and ache at the same time. Still feeling Harry’s protective arms wrapped around him, the scene began to fade and all was tranquil darkness again.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

_“Harry, you need to go home and sleep, you look terrible!”_

_“I won’t leave him, I don’t want him to be alone when he wakes up!”_

_“But didn’t the mediwizards say it was very unlikely?”_

_“Don’t say that, he will return to me, I know it, he would never leave me…” The voice first filled with an incredible rage and then a deep sense of hopelessness, broke again._

_“I can’t stand seeing him like this. I have to hope that he’ll wake up, he would never want this.”_

_Silence greeted this statement and then: “Alright Harry, I’ll fetch you some clothes so you can change. Promise me you’ll try to sleep though and you should shower, you are starting to be less pleasant to be around and not only because of your mood.”_

_Somebody laughed at this with genuine humour._

_“Thank you Mione, you know I love you, right?”_

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

_“Oh God, Harry! Oh Merlin, I need… I need all of you! Please don’t stop!”_

_“Fuck, oh God… FUCK! Please! I can’t… I am going to…”_

_“You are beautiful like this! So beautiful, stretched around me. Come for me!”_

_“Haaaarrrrryyyyy!”_

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

What Draco now knew to be fragments of memories kept assaulting him. Memories of Harry touching him, loving him, talking to him, needing him. His favourite memories were the ones of them waking up together, of the tenderness in Harry’s eyes whenever he looked at him, of how desperately overwhelming Harry’s need to touch him was and how much he enjoyed being touched by Harry.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

_“Pervert!”_

_“Look who’s talking?_ Harry, please more!”

_“You started it!”_

_“Don’t say you didn’t like it!”_

_“I didn’t.”_

_“Liar!”_

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

Only Harry could see the good in him like nobody else could. It was only him who could make Draco feel like he belonged and like he had anything to offer to this new and exciting world. 

The more he remembered the more an overwhelming sense of loss and betrayal began overshadowing the happy memories.

They’d never said they loved each other, but it had been understood to be true, or so Draco had thought until their last fateful encounter.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

“So, what are you going to do with your life, now that you don’t have to vanquish a dark wizard anymore, Hero-boy?”

“I don’t really know, start Auror training I suppose. I do know what I want to do right now though, come here.”

Draco felt himself move towards Harry, excitement and arousal curling in his gut at the look of raw desire in Harry’s eyes.

“I was just wondering…” he gasped as Harry nibbled at his earlobe, “because I was thinking of taking a flat in London, Wiltshire is too far away.” _From you_ , he wanted to say, but didn’t, his courage suddenly leaving him.

Harry stopped kissing a trail down Draco’s neck before replying.

“That’s a great idea!”

Encouraged Draco ploughed on.

“I was thinking, maybe we could go flat-hunting together, you know, to make sure we both like it…”

Harry took a step back at this.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“No, maybe, do you want me to be?”

“Draco, I am sorry but I can’t!”

He felt his heart sink. This was it then, what he’d been dreading for months. He’d laid his heart and soul bare to the man, who somehow had no trouble getting past all of his defences, and now the man he didn’t want to be without was about to reject him.

“Why not?” He heard himself ask, already knowing the answer. _Don't you want to be with me?_

“I want to be with you, but I am not ready. There are still so many things, Ginny and I…” Harry’s voice trailed off.

Draco felt the sneering mask he hadn’t shown to Harry in a long time slide into place as disappointment and hurt overwhelmed him.

“I see.” His tone was calm, emotionless even. He took a step back and began setting his robes right. Harry’s hand stopped him short, as he turned to leave.

“Draco please, don’t go, couldn’t we just go back to how things were?”

“I am afraid that’s quite impossible.”

“But why? Weren’t things good the way they were before?”

“They were acceptable, I suppose.”

“Draco, come back here. Things don’t have to change. We can keep seeing each other, but keep it quiet.”

“No we can’t” Draco said, tearing his arm out of Harry’s grasp. “I am not going to be your dirty little secret Potter! Go and play house with that red-haired bint of yours and stop wasting my time. It’s not like I was in love with you anyway.”

The look of stunned disbelief and hurt that flickered across Potter’s face was reward enough and soothed some of the pain he himself was feeling at being rejected. Pain existed to be passed on to whomever had caused it.

“Don’t feel obliged to keep in touch Potter, I am sure I’ll find someone else to fuck real soon.” With that he’d turned around and left the room, hiding his shaking hands in front of him, not daring to look back, lest seeing Potter would weaken his resolve. The little voice at the back of his head all-the-while chanting “What have you done, what have you done, what have you done?”

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

He’d violently quenched the regret he was beginning to feel. He could just see Potter sitting at home, looking forlorn and writing letter after letter begging Draco to come back to him. None of those letters ever came. Nor did Potter. Draco began avoiding the wizarding media, because he couldn’t bear seeing more pictures of Potter and his bint happy together. It was she who was attending functions with him, her who got to see his gorgeous smile and she who got to experience the sense of utter confidence and acceptance that Potter always managed to inspire in other people.

  
_‘Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley engaged to be married  
\- The event the entire wizarding world has been waiting for-‘_   


Quite obviously Potter didn’t have a commitment issue when it came to the red-haired menace, he thought, only with committing to Draco.

That was the last straw, no matter how much Draco yearned for Potter during the night when his treacherous subconscious filled his dreams with Potter and nothing else. He began hating the man again, first for letting him feel like the most precious thing in the world and then dropping him. He hated him for becoming the centre of Draco’s life and then vanishing without a trace and, most of all, he hated Potter because he needed him like the air he breathed and every moment apart made him feel like dying a little more inside.

Soon after, he remembered, his dreams had turned to nightmares and he had to start taking dreamless sleep potion every night before going to sleep.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

_“No! You cannot do that to him. He has to stay on this ward, don’t you dare give up on him! Just because he’s sleeping doesn’t mean you can put him in one of the basement rooms, he’ll need light and air when he wakes up.”_

_“Mr. Potter, calm down, he is stable, his vitals are strong, but he probably won’t wake up and we need this room for emergencies. Mr. Malfoy will have to be moved to a different ward.”_

_“Fuck you! You are not touching him! Move him to another ward and I will create some emergencies for you to deal with, now get the fuck out!”_

_“This will have dire consequences Mr. Potter!” an indignant voice said, but became fainter as the person apparently left the room, probably to complain to its superior._

_Draco felt strong arms cradle his body protectively and then heard a whisper. “Don’t worry Draco, I will not let them hurt you.”_ He tried to reply, but his lips refused to move.

This didn’t feel like a memory at all. Was his journey through the afterlife, purgatory or whatever this place was, finally coming to an end?

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

Time passed, or didn’t Draco couldn’t have said, time not being of much consequence in the darkness of his mind. 

He slowly became aware of a cool, slightly scratchy, but not uncomfortable sensation against his skin. He tried moving his limbs but to no avail. 

It was still dark and Draco couldn’t tell whether it was because it was dark where he was, or because his eyes were closed. Deciding to put his theory to the test he tried to open his eyes. On the third try bright light assaulted his retinas and instead of trying to open his eyes, he now squeezed them shut to keep out the bright glare. Next he tried speaking, but all that came out was a croak. He tried again, more forcefully this time. “Where…?”

“Draco?” He could feel a hand grabbing his so tightly it hurt.

“Where am I?” His voice sounded raw and scratchy as if he hadn’t spoken in weeks. Then again, maybe he hadn’t, who knew how much time he’d spent in limbo.

“Draco! Dear Merlin, you're awake, you are actually awake!” Draco was crushed into what must have been a mattress by something whoever was doing the crushing apparently considered a hug. Finally letting him go, when he started coughing and choking, but still clutching his hand, whoever was with him, continued.

“Oh my God, I'm sorry, here, let me get you some water.”

The hand let go of his and he could hear footsteps retreating and then returning shortly after. A hand was placed behind his head, gently tilting it forward, while the other was also very gently pressing a glass against his lips, helping him drink several small sips before the glass was removed. With the telltale sound of glass on wood reaching his ears, Draco concluded that it must have been placed on a night stand or something similar. His eyes still held tightly shut, he felt a soft cloth brush across his dry and brittle lips to remove the drops of moisture he hadn’t managed to swallow. The hand lowered his head back to the pillow and was then joined by another, both of them cupping his face, thumbs gently running over his cheeks.

“You are safe now, Draco. I’m here and I won’t leave. Don’t ever scare me like that again!” Whoever held him appeared to be too overwhelmed by their emotions to continue.

He sighed contently, enjoying the gentle caresses and slowly felt himself drift off into a natural healing slumber that he somehow knew wouldn’t be filled with nightmares of one kind or the other. He was safe.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

It must have been much later when Draco awoke for the second time, feeling actually rested but still thirsty. He carefully opened his eyes, remembering how much it had hurt the first time. The only illumination in the otherwise dark room came from the moon whose silver strands silently played over the form of a sleeping man in a chair by Draco’s bed. It was eerily quiet in the room and for a moment Draco thought he’d returned to limbo, but then the man in the chair moved, stray strands of hair falling out of his face, revealing a pair of glasses and a faded scar that Draco knew only too well. Harry bloody Potter, who else could it have been.

He wanted to be angry at the man for not letting him go, but he couldn’t, he felt tenderness rush over him as he studied the unguarded expression on the sleeping face and became aware of the vulnerability in his entire posture.

Everything felt surreal in this dark and silent room and Draco allowed himself the luxury of admitting that he’d always loved watching Harry sleep. His Harry was beautiful in his sleep with no worry lines marring his features. If he’d been able to, Draco would have stretched out his hand and caressed the soft skin of Harry’s face.  
Hours later, when the sky outside the window began to brighten, Draco drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep again.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

The next time he was awoken by an argument that appeared to have broken out in the room.

“Mr. Potter, I am telling you for the last time. You are not listed as one of Mr. Malfoy’s relatives; we have to examine him to make sure there aren’t any after effects caused by the poison he consumed. You can’t stay here while the physical examination is taking place. Unless Mr. Malfoy requests to have you present during the course of the examination, you’ll have to leave the room to honour doctor patient confidentiality.”

“I won’t leave him!” Potter said with determination.

“What’s going on,” Draco mumbled, his eyes still closed against the glare of the brightness of day. Apparently one of the after effects the mediwizard had mentioned was increased photo-sensitivity.

“Nothing to concern yourself with Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter was just leaving!” A poignant silence followed these words, as if whoever had uttered them now expected “Mr. Potter” to comply with his wishes. Draco knew better though, this was never going to happen.

“No, he wasn’t ‘just leaving’, he is in fact staying!” Potter said, imitating the sharp tones of the mediwizard and proving Draco right. He could just imagine him standing there, arms across his chest, eyes flashing angrily, glaring at the mediwizard, daring him to object again. It almost made him smile.

“’s alright.” He mumbled. Making an effort to speak more clearly, he added “don’t want him to leave.”

Quick steps approached his bed and he could feel somebody, presumably Potter, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Are you sure Mr. Malfoy?” The mediwizard asked dubiously.

“m'sure, he stays!”

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

The room had been shaded after the examination had revealed Draco’s increased photo-sensitivity, among other things. The poison he had consumed had also had a damaging effect on the part of his brain that was responsible for his motor-functions. Draco had felt panic rise up inside him when this piece of information was shared with him, and to his eternal shame had held onto Potter’s hand tightly, trying to calm himself down. The mediwizard continued to say that he had a good chance of making a full recovery, but it would take a while as his brain needed to relearn how to coordinate his muscles.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

Draco was sitting propped up against several pillows, his eyes closed, listening to the sound of Potter’s voice as he was reading to him from one of the books Granger had brought over a few days previously. He didn’t even pay attention to the particular words, just enjoyed the sound and flow of them coming out of Potter’s mouth. He was content, but something nagging at the back of his mind still bothered him.

“Potter, why are you still here?”

“Draco, I told you I wouldn’t leave you.” Potter said as if that was explanation enough, not even commenting on Draco’s use of his surname.

“No, seriously, don’t you have anything better to do, like make babies and conform to everyone’s expectations of what our Hero-Boy should be like?” Draco tried again, something inside him wanting to pick a fight.

“No, actually I don’t. I am on leave from the Aurors at the moment. As for making babies, I quickly discovered that’s not for me.” Potter replied, refusing to rise to the bait.

Growing more and more frustrated, Draco finally blurted out. “What do you want from me?”

“Everything” Potter replied in a matter of fact tone. “As I am sure that’ll take a while, I am going to settle for you calling me Harry again for the moment.”

Draco was nonplussed. “Why?”

“Because Draco, there has never been anyone else.”

“Won’t the she-weasel mind?”

“Probably. It doesn’t matter though, we broke up.”

Draco quietly processed this information. Staring at the wall in front of him then turning his gaze to Pot-Harry.

“When?”

“The day before I went to find you in the library.” Harry’s eyes, open and honest fixed on Draco’s.

Draco needed some time to think about this. He swallowed.

“Potter, Harry, would you continue reading to me please?” He said, hoping Harry understood it as the peace offering it was. 

“Alright.”

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

It was dark outside again, when he awoke the next time.

“Draco?”

“Hm?”

“I am sorry!”

“Sorry for what?”

“Sorry for everything going wrong. For choosing her over you.”

Draco shrugged noncommittally, ignoring that the other man probably couldn’t see him in the dark.

“Okay.”

“May I sit with you?”

“I guess.”

He felt Harry taking his hand, squeezing it gently and drawing slow circles on the back of it before crawling into bed beside him, resting his head on the pillow beside Draco’s.

“I am not sure this is what’s usually meant when somebody asks to sit with somebody, Harry.” Draco said, unable to hide the smile that was stealing across his face.

Taking his hand once more, Harry smiled back at him, continuing his slow circling motion.

A comfortable quiet settled over them.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

“So, you are saying the first thing you did, after breaking up with her was seek me out to mend fences?”

“Not consciously, no. I’ve been thinking about seeking you out ever since I let you walk out of that room without a fight.”

“Why didn’t you come looking for me earlier then?”

“I was still going out with Ginny and didn’t know how to break it off for one thing. I also thought you didn’t care about me as much as I did about you.”

“How could you even think that? In the end we were basically living together at Grimmauld Place!” Draco said, withdrawing his hand from Harry’s and wrapping his arms protectively around himself.

“We never talked about it Draco.” Harry said, not accusingly, merely stating a fact. “At the time I didn’t know what I wanted and I only figured out how much I wanted you when you’d already left me!”

“In other words, you were being an idiot!”

“Don’t behave like that’s news to you.” Draco could hear the smile in his voice and relented.

“I suppose you are right, you always were a bit of stupid git.” He relaxed and let Harry take his hand again, intertwining their fingers.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

“I missed you…”

 _I missed you too,_ Draco thought. Unwilling to speak and afraid he’d reveal too much if he did, he let himself sink back into sleep

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You don’t have time to talk to me so we can sort things out, but you have time to sit by _his_ bed every day? It’s not like he even gives a shit about you, he’s probably just basking in the attention, plotting how to take advantage of your status and fame to improve his life.”

“Ginny, please lower your voice, you’ll wake him!”

“I don’t care if I wake him” she said, her voice rising even more. “He doesn’t deserve to rest and recover after what he has done.”

“Ginny!” Harry’s voice, in stark contrast to hers, was dangerously quiet, almost threatening.

“Do I mean that little to you, that you won’t even talk to me? Does what we have mean nothing to you?”

“Alright Ginny, let’s talk, but not here and not now.” Harry said. “Come on, let’s go and have some coffee in the waiting area. I could do with one and I really don’t want to wake him.”

Ginny appeared to be about to protest but from the sounds Draco could make out, she was being ushered less than gently out of the room before the door closed behind the argument.

That was it then. Harry’s attention, a short reprieve of what his life had been for too long, would return to its intended target. There was no doubt in Draco’s mind that the bint would manage to rope Harry in again. If he didn’t know better, he would have guessed the she-weasel had dirt on Harry and wanted to blackmail him. 

An emotion he hadn’t felt since he’d returned to awareness made him wonder idly how hard it would be to get his hands on another phial like the one he’d had before.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

When Harry, no Potter, returned a while later looking exasperated and harassed Draco refused to meet his eyes as he sat in the chair he’d been occupying every single day Draco had been in hospital. He heard Potter drag a frustrated hand through his hair more than he saw it. An uncomfortable silence settled over them. 

They might as well have been at different ends of the universe for all that stood unspoken between them, constantly moving them further apart.

Finally, Potter broke the silence. “Do you need me to get you anything?”

“No! I only need to rest, I am tired.” Draco’s voice sounded bitter, even to his own ears. He turned to his side, facing away from Potter and pretended to go to sleep. His heart ached anew at the betrayal, how was he supposed to bear it this time?

He felt the mattress give way, as Potter sat down beside him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong Draco?”

Draco stopped himself from replying, lest his voice give away his inner turmoil.

Apparently accepting that Draco wasn’t going to answer his question any time soon, Draco expected Potter to get up and move back to his chair. He was completely unprepared for what came next. The mattress gave way even more as Potter climbed into bed with him again, wrapping his arms around Draco and nuzzling his neck gently from behind. The feeling of being protectively cradled against Potter’s warm chest was incredible and overwhelming at the same time.

“Whatever it is, it’ll be okay, I promise.” Potter whispered and then spoke no more.  
Cocooned in the lovely warmth of his embrace, Draco felt himself relax and let go of his fears. Maybe Potter wouldn’t leave, maybe he would stay with him a little longer. It didn’t matter what would happen later, it only mattered that he was here with him right now. It didn’t take long for both of them to drift off into a deep sleep.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

Draco awoke when a warm body snuggled closer to his. A private smile stole across his features before he turned around in the embrace, facing the man pressed against him. He reached out and gently traced the line of Potter’s jaw, careful not to wake the other man. Potter was going to leave soon enough; it didn’t do to dwell on what would happen next, the present was the only thing that mattered.

Potter’s breathing changed almost imperceptibly and his strong arms tightened around Draco, apparently he hadn’t been careful enough.

“Good Morning!” Potter said, smiling up at Draco with his eyes still closed.

“Good Morning.”

“What time is it?”

“I have no idea, I only just woke up myself. It’s still dark outside though.”

“Hmmm, never mind, it’s not important.”

“Harry, why are you still here?”

“What do you mean ‘why am I still here’?” Potter said inching back a little to look at Draco. “Where else would I be?”

“Weasley… I thought she…I heard you two talking…” Draco hated himself for how insecure he sounded.

“She did wake you then.” It wasn’t a question, Potter was merely stating a fact.

“Yes. Why aren’t you with her?”

“Draco,” Harry said, Draco supposed it was okay for him to call him Harry again, even inside his mind, placing a gentle kiss on top of Draco’s scalp, “I don’t want Ginny, you should know that by now.”

Draco let his eyes drift shut again, relishing the warmth of Harry’s embrace. He wasn’t ready to face any of it; if this was a lie it would destroy him. Convinced that Harry would be gone when he awoke the next time, he inhaled his scent for the last time, committing every single touch to memory.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

He was lying on his back, the plain white ceiling of the hospital room slowly swimming into focus as he awoke. There was a heavy arm slung across his chest holding him close and pinning him to the mattress, as well as a face pressed into the crook of his arm. Harry was still here.

“Harry.” Draco shook him gently.

“Hmpf.” Was the only reply he received.

“Come on now sleepy head, wake up.”

“s nice and warm, do not want to.” Draco actually laughed out loud at this, startling Harry into sudden wakefulness. He grinned sheepishly at Draco.

“You are too comfortable for your own good.” He proclaimed matter-of-factly. Draco smiled at this, feeling completely at ease. Their unexpected sense of camaraderie was shattered however when somebody knocked on the door.

A second softer knock followed, the door swinging open slowly, making them look up.

Draco could see Harry’s eyes widen in shock as he realised who was about to step into the room. It was Draco’s parents, a set of matching concerned expressions on their faces. He could see his father do a double take when he realised the position his only son and one Harry ‘vanquisher of all evil’ Potter were in.

Draco tensed under his parents’ scrutiny and Harry scrambled out of bed so fast he almost ended up on the floor when he’d finally managed to disentangle himself from Draco’s bed sheets.

“Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy.” He nodded at them, his face flushed with embarrassment.“ Please excuse me, was all he managed before he fled the room.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

Draco’s parents had left a while ago and still there was no sign of the Saviour’s return. It amused Draco that Harry had managed to defeat the Dark Lord almost single-handedly, but was terrified of his parents.

When the hesitant knock finally came, it sounded overly loud in the quiet room.

“You can come in now _oh brave hero_ , they went home.”

Harry entered the room, a sheepish grin on his face.

“My mother asked me to inform you that your life debt to her has been repaid with what you have done for me.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, although I am not sure she’ll still think that. If Father dies of apoplexy after seeing the two of us together.”

During the next few days, Harry became an even more permanent fixture in Draco’s life, reading to him during the day, even though Draco was recovering quickly and would have been perfectly able to read by himself and cradling him protectively by night. Suspecting Harry enjoyed the shared activity as much as Draco did, he didn’t say anything.

The time they shared together made the last year seem like a bad dream. They bickered and laughed and it all seemed light and pleasant.

Sometimes it still felt surreal to Draco and he wondered what would happen when he left the hospital. As the time of his release drew nearer, he began to worry.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

“Hands off!”

“But…”

“Hands off, Boy Wonder! It’s mine and you cannot have it unless you are in this bed and recovering!”

“Draco please…”

“Harry, I earned this Jell-O, you cannot have it, it’s mine!”

“How will you even eat it, your hands are still shaking and I doubt it’s the Jell-O’s fault!”

“That’s for me to worry about and you to watch Hero Boy. How would I even know that you were worthy of my Jell-O?”

“I can’t believe you just said that.”

“I can’t either.” Draco felt his face heat up as he blushed scarlet under Harry’s smouldering look.

“Oh alright, you may help me I suppose, but don’t eat all of it yourself, like you did last time!”

“Hmm, but it’s so delicious, how will I be able to resist? I suppose, if I spilled any of it on you, I’d have to eat it off of your…” Now it was Harry’s turn to blush furiously.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

They’d told him he could go home in less than 7 days. Draco was beginning to feel anxious; he didn’t want to return to his lonely flat, to his lonely life. Harry and he had spent almost all of their time together, but they hadn’t talked about the future. Despite what everyone, even his parents seemed to think, they weren’t together. Harry had neither initiated any kind of intimacy beside the handholding and the occasional cuddling, nor had he made any mention of what would happen once Draco left the hospital.

The memory of what had happened the last time Draco had tried to speak to Harry about a shared future kept him from bringing up the topic himself or even taking their shared intimacy one step further.

His anxiety grew as the release date drew nearer and nearer.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

They were lying on Draco’s bed again, the sun just setting in a fiery red sunset outside the window, bathing them in a warm red glow. Harry’s cheek was resting on Draco’s chest and he was dreamily drawing an endless series of infinity symbols on the skin just below Draco’s left wrist. This was the last night Draco would have to spend in the hospital and finally Draco plucked up the courage to ask something he’d been wondering about ever since he’d woken up.

“Harry?”

“Yes?”

“Before, when I was” he paused, “when I was asleep, I had some strange dreams.”

“Oh?” The caressing motion never faltered.

“Yes, I think some of them were memories and some of them were things happening around me. I remember Granger telling you that you were starting to smell rank.” He grinned at this, imagining the indignant expression on Harry’s face as he refused to look up to meet his gaze.

Harry gave a noncommittal shrug and didn’t reply.

“Indeed, however there is one memory or incident that I cannot quite place. It’s incredibly vague, but all I remember is something about someone not wanting me to leave and then going to say that whoever it was loved me. Do you know what the significance of that might be?”

He could feel Harry begin to tense underneath the hand Draco had draped over his back, holding him in place.

“Why do you want to know?” Draco had almost given up on an answer to his question by the time Harry finally spoke.

“Because it feels important somehow.”

Harry took a steadying breath, “You remember I told you that it was me who brought you to St. Mungo's after I found you in your flat, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I wasn’t entirely honest with you about how I came to be there in the first place. I was there under my invisibility cloak, making sure you were okay, because I had been worried sick about you with the time running out on your promise. I was there when you took the poison and I caught you before you could slide to the floor.”  
Draco was speechless for a moment. He hadn’t expected this. “The voice inside my head, it was you, wasn’t it?” He asked.

He could feel Harry nod.

“Then, you are here with me right now, because…because you love me?” Another nod.

And as if that had broken the spell, words began spilling out of Harry.

“When I held you, after you’d drunk from the phial, I thought I’d lost you. It was more than I could bear. I know that you don’t feel the same way about me. It’s obvious that you only want to be friends and I have no right to expect more of you after what I did. I just… it’s such an overwhelming feeling, all I want to do is protect you, hide you away from the world and from anyone ever doing you any harm again. I want you so badly, I only want you and nobody else, but I know that I can never have you. I behaved so badly towards you, I don’t deserve you.” Harry said, addressing Draco’s navel. “I was going to ask you to move in with me at Grimmauld Place, after you were released from hospital, but the opportunity never arose and now I am convinced that moving in with me is the last thing you’d want. I understand if you don’t want to be with me, but please don’t make me stay away from you anymore. I’ll be your friend if you’ll have me, I promise I won’t make you feel uncomfortable and you won’t even notice how I feel about you…” the flood of words spilling forth from Harry’s mouth finally abated. His entire form was tense, as if he was preparing himself for the worst.

“I don’t want to be your friend Harry,” Draco heard himself say. At this, Harry tried to get up and leave but Draco would have none of it. Using more force than strictly necessary, he kept Harry pinned to his side. “You didn’t let me finish, now listen! I don’t want to be your friend; I want to be something more. Friendship never really worked for us, did it?”

“It’s not about what we deserve either, Harry. People hardly ever get what they deserve or deserve what they end up with, but who are we to judge? Now come here.” He added, drawing Harry’s face to his own, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. At first there was hardly any response and then Harry kissed him back hungrily, his hands reaching up to tangle in Draco’s hair. The gasps between the kisses were peppered with words, “have missed this so much… wanted you for so long… Draco…” Their desperation quickly turned into a different kind of urgency and it wasn’t long until Draco was writhing beneath Harry. The air around them filled with gasps and moans as their shared breath mingled between passionate kisses.

~.o.O.0.O.o.~

“Is this everything?”

“Yes, I don’t think we’ve missed anything. Thanks for helping me pack.”

“It’s no bother!”

Grabbing Draco’s shrunken boxes, furniture and suitcases and dropping them into his coat pockets, Harry continued. “Sorry about the inconvenience of moving your things like this, but the ministry is refusing to lift the anti-apparition charm, which means I can’t just side-along you either.”

“It’s alright; it’s not your fault, besides I could do with some fresh air after being trapped in a stuffy hospital room for weeks.” Draco said, quickly stealing a kiss from Harry before climbing onto the broom behind him.

“Hold on tight,” Harry said, making sure Draco’s arms were securely wrapped around his waist before kicking off the ground and steering his broom toward a clear blue sky. Feeling Draco pressing his cheek into his back made his heart soar through the perfect new day with him.

Neither of them looked back at the dark façade of the house that had caused both of them such grief. They looked forward, eyes alight with excitement at the adventures the future held in store for them. Nothing could scare them now that they finally were reunited.

~ Fin ~


End file.
